Still struggling badly with the pain & although I managed one evening laying on sofa playing xbox with a mate, the second attempt has really set me back. It is extremely frustrating. My little cat Gabriella is the only reason I havent gone insane, lol. It is giving me time to think though & while a lot of those thoughts have been negative about my situation & life in general, I do tend to find myself coming back round to the idea that there is no point worrying about things as it does nothing to change things for the positive, so just have to wait & see how things pan out... Which is as close to being 'me' again as I have been for a few years while life has been taking pop shots with nuclear weapons, lol...

I hope everyone is ok & having both physical & mental pain free days... Peace out!

Andy,

Sorry the pain is so bad, but furry companions can be wonderfully therapeutic - utilise this for your Mental Health as much as possible.

As for the negatives, try to log on here when you can to get them out of your system. Our supportive group will be waiting for updates.

Dave.

Hope that pain is lessening. Yes, some movement after surgery is good for strength of body and spirit. It can be a hard one though, when the result is overdoing. That continues to this day to be one of my downfalls.

The last surgery for me is a bit over 18 months ago, and I have a hard time being less active than I want to be. THAT is what hits me when pushing too hard.

Keep up with your pain management. You will probably be offered therapy when it is right for you to be more active. It helped me, and could help you.

M56

Hi Andy,

Heck, I am glad to see you overdid it a bit. That means you felt well enough for a moment to do enough to aggravate things. It's a start right!

Hang on like a bulldog to your recovery. I cannot tell you how many times I approached and re-approached activity, rehab, therapy, etc. Start low, go slow. Nerve recovery is unlike anything else. If activity is too much expect with a nerve surgery that things may be unhappy for a few days. They can take a while to settle back down. Once they do, start up again, a little more gently. This will go on for a while and the docs know what they say when they tell you there will be good days and bad days.

Try not to get too discouraged. I would expect you to have difficulty at this point. You are just about 30 days post-op now right? You could consider gentle PT soon. Remember this is a growth situation. You may not have much capacity right now, but you will in the future. Bet you wouldnt have played Xbox three weeks ago...

Sending hugs,

Yes, I am just going to have to ride it out... You are correct, its about five weeks since surgery. Have an appointment with my surgeon on 5th October, so it will be interesting to see what we both say to each other.

Sending love & positive aura to the room.

I miss going for a beer with my mates... my social life has basically died & I miss it. Was a big part of my personality. I am usually confident & outgoing & I miss that... I really need a beer... I miss a lot about my old life lately...

Sorry, just needed to get some things off my chest & out into the universe...

Hey Andy,

Keep resting up with Gabriella and you will eventually get out, at least for a short while.

As with your X Box evening, are you up to inviting a couple of mates over for a shorter stint and to crack a couple? At least that would give you a mental break.

Keep on with the healing.

Dave.

Dear Andy

Due to so serious nerve pain
Especially in the last couple of days
Here goes...
OCD
may have been a reason
why things are not going well
and maybe it hindered much of
my existing pain
I wish this would have been the reason
for the failure
My apartment was being painted in the
last few days
was this a good thing maybe
I don't know
All I know is that there was noBody
around to help
When I began to take precious
articles down so they could paint
I was disgusted at the dust that
for example my chimes
I say and cried as my hand tried
to clean them
eventually my hands just don't
do well
As it too hurts when I type
Cleaning the chimes I began to cry
thinking who will cherish these chimes
when I'm gone
Who's gunna take care of this body
when it cannot do for itself anymore
I worked like a horse
Never stopping
Forgetting my Meds
as I was engulfed in the chore
ahead of me
As all things were put in the middle of the room

Because I was not paying attention to
and believe me there is no way of avoiding pain
in ones hands and feet
I am crippled in bed
Wanting do badly to go to the pool
In the evening I had to void twice
It hurt so badly to walk to the bathroom
That is just feet from my bed
Oh crap I thaught
This is just too painful
And like Dave is experiencing now
how his hands are numb yet hurt like
NO TOMORROW
to squeeze a bloody rag to clean up
and put things back clean

I live with this after second surgery
With so many other physically painful factors
such as neck and lower back

I'm now not sure what I want to express to you
So ill just keep going

On one hand like littlepaw said
To feel the pain can be a good thing
Just DO NOT PUSH LIKE MY OCD COMPELS
ME TO

in my case I want to say I welcome the pain
But
I don't
So much of my physical being robbed
gone taken never to be fixed

I live with HOPE that one day
One day soon there will be a cure
Or a miracle

My mind is not where it needs to be
I am crying the pain is so bloody bad
And there isn't a pill that can help

Although I must say
Just before the severe side affects
while on Lyrica
And I remember at the fourth pill level
I forget the mg.
But remember that the feeling to my hands
were coming back
You can imagine how happy I was just for a brief
time
My body had bad side affects
blistering of my mouth
And it also affected my nails and
skin to my hand were blistering
And that was that

All the pain is back and living with it sucks

I'm sorry
Now that's called ranting
I think

I do want to say
Having a family I love dearly
and the family torn apart
Is the most painful of all
Who's gunna cherish the chimes

You hang on
Like many of us do
Wishing you joy happiness

Thank you for letting me rant
Love
Me

Rant away Eva. It definately does do good to get things off ones chest...

I hope you are feeling a little better today...

Me & Gabs are currently curled up warm in bed. She is never far away, bless her.

Im unable to drink while on Tramadol unfortunately mate. I do need to get the lads round at some point, but I need to be physically a little better before that happens...

Would like to say Im feeling a little improvement, but while Im sure there has beem some, i certainly cannot feel it at the moment...

Still time yet... Six weeks into a possible two years & beyond, just a little lost at the moment...

Attempted some stretches/sitting/walking/etc to try & get some motion going & increased the pain ten fold... Docs tomorrow to try & get some advice about it all... So frustrating as I want to get out & about & do things... Instead Im stuck in this flat that feels like a prison...

Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully it will bring better with it... Hasnt for over three years, but one can hope...